Stabilizer plate for screed chairs



Dec. 31, 1963 J- N. SAYLES STABILIZER PLATEFORSCREED CHAIRS Filed Feb. 16, 1962 R m m m JAMES NORMAN SAYLES FIG. 3

ATTOR NEYS United States Patent Ofi ice 3,115,725 Patented Dec. 31, 1963 3,115,726 STABILIZER PLATE FOR SCREED CHAIRS James Norman Sayles, St. Joseph, Mo., assignor to Louis F. Sayles, Sr., St. Joseph, Mo. Filed Feb. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 173,775 2 Claims. (Cl. 50-79) This invention relates to an improvement in screed chairs used in the leveling, or even grading, of poured fresh concrete, or cement, where the base, usually dirt or soil, is soft.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a stabilizing plate to be used on standard pre-existing screed chairs or may be made a part of special screed chairs at time of manufacture.

Another object of this device resides in the use of the stabilizing plate, preventing undesirable settling, or shifting, of the screed chair, or holder, within the soft soil, or base, by the legs of said screen chair, it being noted that any undesirable setting, or shifting, results in uneven or improperly graded cement or concrete work.

A further object of this device is the provision of such a stabilizing plate which may be easily and quickly removed, or separated, from the basic screed chair, when not in use, for more convenient storage, or the stabilizing plate may be used with other screed chairs, if desired.

Another object resides in the fact that, with the use of the instant invention, screed chairs may now be successfully used on sloping grades, where formerly they could not.

Still other objects will in part be obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter and shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of this device on a standard screed chair;

lEIGUR'E 2. is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIGURE 1, as viewed in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the use of this device on a screed chair, making possible the use of the screed chair on a sloping grade; and

[FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of several screed chairs in place supporting the parallel screed members with the concrete or cement leveling or rodding member shown on top of the two screeds.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

This invention consists of a generally square shape metal plate through which are five holes. One large hole 11 is formed in the geometrical center of the plate 10 through which a height adjusting worm screw 12 of the screed chair generally indicated at C operates freely without any interference from the plate 10. Located near each corner of the plate 10 is a screed chair leg hole or opening =13 through each of which one screed chair leg 14 runs. Vertically extending leg means forming portions 14a of screed chair legs 14 run along the outside of and are integral with -a stationary hub 15 having a vertical threaded bore 15a, through which height adjusting worm screw 12 is rotated to adjust to various heights. Radially extending, horizontally disposed, leg downwardly depending leg portions 14b and vertically extending leg portions 14a to spaced depending screed chair leg portions 141) at a suitable distance from the center member 15, being bent downwardly at 16, aligning the portions 14b with the screed chair leg holes 13.

Located just below the bend 16 each depending leg portion 14b is provided with a multiplicity of notches 17 on the inward side of said legs. Notches 17 serve to retain the stabilizing plate 10 in a suitable portion by the inward spring-like tension exerted by legs 14.

In the use of this device, stabilizing plate 10 is fitted on the screed chair by placing the depending screed chair leg portions 14]] through the appropriate screed chair leg holes or openings 13. Stabilizing plate 10 is pushed upward until one of the screed chair leg notches 17, as desired, hooks 'over the plate 10 at each screed chair leg hole 13. Inward spring-like tension of each screed chair leg 14 holds the plate 10 within the notches =17.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 3, the screed chairs C are suitably placed in two parallel lines and screeds 18 are placed within the U shape yoke 19 of the screed chair as shown best in FIGURE 2. This now provides the usual arrangement for leveling, or grading, the freshly poured cement by use of the rodding member 20 when the cement is properly set.

The fiunction of stabilizing plate 10 is to prevent wobbling and settling of the ordinary screed chair when it is used in dirt or soft soil. This is done by the stabilizing plate 10 lying flat on top of the soil. At present, conventional screed chairs wobble and settle to an undesirable depth and are unreliable in general and cannot be used in most cases of dirt or soil bases.

LFlIGURE 2 shows the use of notches 17 when it is desired to use the screed chairs C on a sloping grade 21. The proper notch 17 of each depending screed chair leg portion 14b is selected, so that, the plate 10 will lay flat on the sloping grade 21 and thereby hold the screed chair C in its near vertical position so that it may bestretain the screed 18 within the holding yoke 19. The standard screed chair cannot be used on a sloping grade, but with the proper relation between the stabilizing plate 10 and the most suitable notches 17 this is now possible.

It is to be indicated that while the invention has hitherto been described particularly in connection with an adjustable screed chair, it is equally adaptable to screed chairs having no adjustment feature, in which case, the conventional intersecting crossed legs are bent to form shoulders, the portions of the legs below the shoulders are notched as in the previous modification, and the stabilizing plate 10 is employed as in the foregoing modification. Obviously, in the absence of the threaded adjusting screw 12, center hole 11 may be omitted.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed:

1. In combination, a screed chair comprising at least three horizontally disposed leg portions each having outer ends and inner ends, said inner ends being adjacent each other and said horizontally disposed leg portions extending radially outwardly therefrom, depending leg portions having inner sides and being formed of a semiresilient material, one of said depending leg portions ex tending downwardly from each of said outer ends of said horizontally disposed leg portions, a substantially planar stabilizing plate having means defining openings, each of said openings in said plate receiving one of said depending -leg portions, means defining a plurality of vertically spaced notches on said inner side of each depend ing leg portion, said means defining each of said openings in said stabilizing plate being resiliently engaged by a selected notch on its associated depending leg portion to hold said stabilizing plate in a chosen angular relationship, and means for supporting a screed, said last-mentioned means being connected in vertically spaced relationship to said inner ends of each of said horizontally disposed leg portions.

2. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS White June 9, 1925 Heltzel June 14, 1932 Tompkins et al. Nov. 11, 1941 Byars et a1. Apr. 14, 1953 Hillberg Oct. 31, 1961 

1. IN COMBINATION, A SCREED CHAIR COMPRISING AT LEAST THREE HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LEG PORTIONS EACH HAVING OUTER ENDS AND INNER ENDS, SAID INNER ENDS BEING ADJACENT EACH OTHER AND SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LEG PORTIONS EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, DEPENDING LEG PORTIONS HAVING INNER SIDES AND BEING FORMED OF A SEMIRESILIENT MATERIAL, ONE OF SAID DEPENDING LEG PORTIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM EACH OF SAID OUTER ENDS OF SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LEG PORTIONS, A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR STABILIZING PLATE HAVING MEANS DEFINING OPENINGS, EACH OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID PLATE RECEIVING ONE OF SAID DEPENDING LEG PORTIONS, MEANS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED NOTCHES ON SAID INNER SIDE OF EACH DEPENDING LEG PORTION, SAID MEANS DEFINING EACH OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID STABILIZING PLATE BEING RESILIENTLY ENGAGED BY A SELECTED NOTCH ON ITS ASSOCIATED DEPENDING LEG PORTION TO HOLD SAID STABILIZING PLATE IN A CHOSEN ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP, AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A SCREED, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS BEING CONNECTED IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID INNER ENDS OF EACH OF SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LEG PORTIONS. 